1967
by hazelvv
Summary: Soda sits in his car waiting for Monica to come bouncing out of school. It's the first time they've been seen together since Soda agreed to be her fake boyfriend. (three-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, so this is sort of a vent fic? Idk. It's a story told in three parts so there's two more chapters I'll finish eventually. Tw for period-accurate homophobia and violence.**

* * *

 _November 24_ _th_

She stands in front of him, arms crossed against her worn yellow sweater with her lips frowned in defiance despite the fear in her eyes. "Sodapop Curtis?"

"Yeah," He affirms, pausing to look her in the eyes before continuing to sweep dirt and loose metal from the ground. She doesn't budge.

"Monica Lewis," She answers. Soda nods wordlessly. It's not uncommon for girls to hang back, giggling like little schoolgirls and offering to take him out for dinner Saturday night. He's expecting the same from Monica Lewis.

"I need you to be my boyfriend," Monica Lewis says, loosing the coolness in her voice she had before. Soda turns around, his eyebrows raised and lips curled into a smile. He places his hands on his hips.

"You _need_ me to be your boyfriend?"

Monica Lewis does not budge, even though the longer he stares at her, the more the corners of her mouth twitch and her eyes become wet with tears.

"There's rumours going around about me."

Soda snorts, his fingers curling tightly around the wooden broom. "Not good ones, I guess."

Monica Lewis takes a moment to inhale sharply. "Girls at school are calling me a lesbian."

"And are you?"

Soda watches as her face pales and her fingers curl into her hands. Her wide eyes and nervous shaking indicate fear, and fear means a yes. He could tell that she was internally kicking herself for her slip up. He leans on the broom and his smile widens.

"Are you?"

He doesn't know why he's prodding what is practically a complete stranger like he is. Part of him wants to laugh, and the other part is mildly concerned for her. Monica Lewis wipes her eyes on her sleeve and glances around to make sure they're alone.

"Yeah, I'm a queer," Monica Lewis finally answers, just above a whisper. She's like a deer caught in headlights, already shying away from Soda in case he lashes out, pre-emptively wincing in pain. Soda bites back a joking remark at her actions, overcome with guilt.

He stands from the broom and begins to sweep the ground again. "Sorry kid, I ain't dating a dyke."

Monica Lewis takes a stumbling step toward him, her voice suddenly choked with tears. "Please Sodapop. I need a year – just a year – to get money to ditch Tulsa altogether. Then I'll leave and you never have to speak to me again."

Soda spins around to face her, sweeping forgotten. "A year is a long time, Monica Lewis. For both me and you."

Her eyes are blazing. "You have a kid brother, right? What if he was like me? What would you do then?"

Monica Lewis is right, and Soda feels his stomach churn. He loved that kid more than anything, and she was right. He relents. "Fine. I'll do it, but you better be prepared for the shit that's gonna come your way."

Monica Lewis practically falls down in relief. "Thank you," She whispers, her hand covering her mouth. "Thank you."

 _November 26_ _th_

Soda sits in his car waiting for Monica to come bouncing out of school. It's the first time they've been seen together since Soda agreed to be her fake boyfriend. He waits in the sticky car, watching out for a head of copper-brown hair. Soon enough he sees her. A few girls sneer at her while she walks past, but she points to Soda's car and their faces turn a crimson red in anger.

Monica slings her bag off her left shoulder and pokes her head through the window. She reaches out and touches his shoulder – the other girls go nuts for that, she says – but she doesn't kiss him. "Hey, can you drop me and my friend Janet off at my place?"

Janet isn't her friend. Janet is her girlfriend, and Soda is surprised at seeing her. He had always imagined Janet to be tall and bulky, the classic butch woman, but finds her thin and petite, with a short nose, olive skin and dark, thick hair. However, her eyes were set in a cold way. It's the trademark of an East side girl.

"Sure, jump in," He answers. Monica's mouth lifts at the corners and she climbs into the passenger side, while Janet takes the backseat.

Soda takes off in the direction of Monica's house. Monica turns in her seat to Janet and grins. "Janet, this is Sodapop Curtis. Soda, Janet Miller."

"It's nice to meet you," Says Janet. He can hear the meaning under her words. _It's unfair_. She's polite, and he respects that.

Soda looks down to find Monica's fingers curled around Janet's outstretched hand. It's such a simple gesture, one he had done countless times with Sandy. It was depressing seeing it here.

Monica looks out the window. "Oh, Soda, let us out here."

He pulls over and squints at the empty sidewalk. No people in sight. "Here?" He asks, instantly understanding. There's no one, and that's the way they want it.

"Yeah, thanks Soda," Monica replies quickly, flinging the door open and jumping out. Janet follows, but quieter, more catlike.

They leave without a goodbye. Soda doesn't expect one.

 _November 30_ _th_

Monica meets Ponyboy and Darry for the first time at the end of November. Soda had regretted it at first, but when she shows up at their door in her plaid miniskirt and her red cardigan, Soda's fears settled. She looked normal.

"Hello Sodapop," She giggled. "You gonna let me in?"

He steps out the way and she walks in, taking a moment to marvel at the photographs of Soda and his brothers. She stands on her tiptoes to look at the ones higher up.

"You must be Monica," Darry nods his head to her as he walks into the room. Darry and Pony had been told that she wasn't straight, and while neither were happy about it, they had both accepted what Soda had done. His fear came from the thought that Steve or Two-Bit could pop around.

Monica spins on her heel, her face blossoming into a smile. "Darry and Ponyboy, right?"

Ponyboy glances between Monica and Soda. He's clearly uncomfortable having a strange girl in their living room, not to mention said stranger was a lesbian. Monica doesn't bother to make him feel uncomfortable around her. She looks resigned, and it's a little disheartening.

"C'mon, we made a pie if you want some," Darry says. Monica looks over to Soda for permission. He nods. Monica smiles.

"'Kay, since you're offering," She giggles, following Darry into the kitchen.

They all take a seat at the table, and Soda notices Monica's hands are shaking. She swallows.

"And you all know…"

"… You're a queer? Yeah," Ponyboy answers for her, pushing his food around his plate. Monica lets the fork scrape against the plate. Ponyboy cringes.

"Okay," She says, lifting a forkful of pie into her mouth.

Conversation comes swiftly after that. Darry asks about Monica's family, and Monica seems interested while Pony discusses school with her using wide and exaggerated hand movements. Pretty soon its almost as if she fits right into their little family.

 _December 6_ _th_

Monica, Janet and Soda sit in an empty lot and watch the stars. It's cold and snow looks like it's heading their way, but they sit with blankets and Janet's hot chocolate which is, admittedly, amazing. Soda hears Monica's soft murmurings to Janet, but he pays no mind. Without looking, he imagines Janet smiling, her eyes sparkling with the reflection of the stars.

Janet is a woman of few words. She's a lot quieter than Monica, carefully selecting words, never speaking for the sake of it. Monica says she gets into fights, and it's not difficult to imagine her in that circumstance. Janet is threatening in her own way.

In the distance, Soda sees a group of greasers. Monica and Janet break apart in an instance. When they disappear from sight, they don't touch again.

Monica brings her knees to her chest. "I hate Tulsa," She mutters. Her words are venomous, spitting them from her mouth in disgust.

Janet stands. "It's getting cold," She says. Janet is threatening in her own way. Janet calls the shots. But she's nothing but soft to Monica.

 _December 9_ _th_

"Where did the rumour come from?" Soda asks one day. They're walking through the main street trying to pick out Christmas presents. Soda's lucky. He's got Pony, Darry, Two-Bit and Steve to buy for. Monica has 8 siblings to buy for.

She stops at a toy store. She bends down and looks at a Barbie dress set for little Cynthia, and then to a matchbox car for Kevin. She can't afford much, but money was tight in a house trying to support 8 children and they'll be happy with anything.

"Some girl called Lori saw me kissing another girl," She answers, opening the door to the toy store to fish out the car and the dress set.

"Janet?" Soda guesses, and Monica shakes her head.

"Denise Frank," She corrects. Soda watches as she pulls out her purse and pays for the gifts.

"There's more of you?"

Monica rolls her eyes. "Jesus Sodapop, you act like we're an endangered species of panda bear."

Soda thinks for a moment. "Is Denise Frank one of you?"

Monica's eyes get sad. "No Sodapop. Just another drunk girl."

 _December 10_ _th_

Her thick jacket is dusted with snow when Soda sees her the next day. She's like a little waddling penguin and under her right arm is a package. Soda is driving and slows up to her. Monica doesn't look like she enjoys the winter months at all.

"On my way to the post office," She quickly explains. Soda shakes his head.

"Get in."

She does as she's told. She always does. She gets into the car as quiet as a mouse and pulls off her beanie and her scarf and she unzips her jacket. The heater is blasting from the car anyway. Her cheeks are a rosy red and snot looks ready to drip from her nose, so Soda hands her an old napkin from somewhere in the car.

"What's in the box?" He asks. Soda was never good at leaving things to the unknown. The unknown was scary, and even the innocent box was too tempting.

Monica flips it over and runs her fingers over the words printed on the box. "It's a present for my older brother. He lives in Minnesota where he works. All of us packaged one our gifts to send to him."

Soda pulls over near the post office and looks down at the box. Neatly, a list of 8 names was printed in a range of different styles.

 _Monica_

 _Timothy_

 _Dennis_

 _Penny_

 _Vivian_

 _Lucy_

 _Kevin_

 _Cynthia_

Monica thumps one hand on the cardboard. "In order of oldest to youngest, so you can imagine the gifts get pretty lame as you go down the list."

"It's sweet," Soda shrugs. Monica grins.

"Yeah?" She laughs and opens the door, slamming it shut behind her. "Thanks Soda."

 _December 13_ _th_

Sodapop Curtis wakes to the sound of thumping on his front door. Darry works too hard to be woken by such a weak sound, and Pony is curled up under the covers in deep sleep, so Soda tugs on a jacket and goes to the door.

To his surprise, Monica stands there with a bruise under one eye and blood dripping in a steady rhythm over her lips and down her chin. Soda wastes no time in pulling her inside and sitting her on the couch.

While he's wetting tea towels to wipe her face, she's sitting with her head in her hands, trying to keep her anguished sobs as silent as possible. He sits down next to her and gently wipes the blood from her face. He's done this countless times after rumbles. He knows how to do this as painlessly as possible.

"It was Lori and her friends," Monica whispers. Her voice is scratchy and hoarse, no doubt from screaming.

"Don't they believe what we're doing?"

Monica pulls away. "I don't know, but they grabbed me and they kept hitting me. It was horrible. They didn't say anything, but they were laughing. Oh God, they were _laughing_."

Soda rubs her shoulders. "Stay here tonight. I'll get you a pillow and a blanket and we can deal with this in the morning."

Monica nods and lays herself against the worn couch. She's fast asleep by the time he returns with pillows and blankets.

 _December 14_ _th_

Soda goes to sleep knowing that Pony and Darry won't be too worried about Monica crashing on their couch. Soda wakes up to Two-Bit's unmistakable laughter. Likely about Monica. Groaning, he lifts himself from the bed and tugs a shirt over his head.

Monica has dried blood around her nostrils and her bruise has gotten deeper, but she's still laughing along with Two-Bit, although rather uncomfortably. Ponyboy is watching from the kitchen. His eyes burn deep into Soda. He's waiting to see how Soda handles the situation.

"I see you met Monica," Soda stretches and yawns. Two-Bit raises his eyebrows and whistles.

"Shoot kid, figured you gave up trying to find a girl," He teases. Monica giggles.

"It's more like I found him, actually."

Ponyboy, with his jaw clenched, finally speaks up. "What happened to you Monica?"

She looks back to the youngest brother, hurt evident in her eyes. It seemed that Ponyboy still hadn't quite warmed up to her. Soda blew air nosily from his nose. Ponyboy could be such a child sometimes.

"I got into a fight," She answers, plain and simple. Two-Bit scrunches his nose up at her.

"In those clothes?"

Monica looks down to her clothing, noting her thick wool jacket and skirt. "Am I not supposed to wear this to a fight?" She asks. Her tone is light enough, but it also itched to get out of there. Soda walks to Monica and helps her to her feet. She flinches, not expecting him to touch her.

"I should be getting home. I probably got seven hungry kids waiting on me," Monica fixes her coat and rubs her nose, not doing much of anything to help it. She waves.

"See you later!"

 _December 17_ _th_

Janet's sucking on a cigarette when Monica and Soda approach. She glances to their loosely entwined fingers and narrows her eyes, but her politeness stops her from saying anything.

Really, Monica wasn't into holding Soda's hand at all. Her fingers were only just holding onto Soda's, but he wasn't sure how jealousy works. He never had any reason to be jealous with Sandy. At least, he didn't think he had a reason.

Janet blows the smoke and it floats up and disappears. Monica gives her a pointed look of repulsion. "You know I don't like you smoking."

She's already lighting another cigarette. The lighter illuminates her face, her splatter of freckles making her seem all the more entrancing. Janet puts the lighter away, takes a drag and pulls it away from her lips. "Sorry baby."

Monica's hand brushes against Janet's, but she freezes and quickly pulls away. Soda pretends to ignore it.

 _December 23_ _rd_

Steve is finally introduced to Monica. It's a weird attempt at a Christmas party with the whole gang all compressed in the Curtis' kitchen. Monica turns out to be a pretty decent cook, bring over gingerbread and pecan pie. She helps Darry serve up pie and helps to mix whisky into the eggnog after Evie put too much in the other jug.

"You must be the Steve I hear so much about!" Monica gushes, attempting to start conversation. Evie stalks over, her bright red lips pursed.

"Monica, right?" She asks. Monica nods happily.

Evie smiles. Monica isn't sure if it's a nice smile, or if she's only being sarcastic with her actions. She wishes Janet could've come.

"I love your hair, it's such a pretty colour," Evie continues, and for a moment Monica is certain that Evie means well. Evie hangs off Steve's arm, bobbing her head up and down like a parrot.

Soda approaches and places an arm over Monica's shoulders. "What're we talking about over here?"

Evie giggles an airy, light giggle. "Oh, just how utterly _adorable_ your girlfriend is."

Soda doesn't miss the pleased smile that brushes over Monica's lips, or the flush of her cheeks. Evie reaches over and pinches Monica's cheek. "Gosh, we need to go on a double date sometime. I've gotta make this girl my friend!"

Monica's toes curl up in her shoes. She looks to Soda and giggles. "We'll see."

 _December 27_ _th_

Christmas at the Curtis' is normal and boring. He sees a present under the tree labelled with his name. He unwraps it. It's a small card and enclosed in it is a wad of mismatched bills. Soda is sure that the money doesn't equate to much, but he focuses on the card.

 _Dear Sodapop Curtis,_

 _Thank you._

 _Monica Lewis_

 _January 1_ _st_

Monica and most of her siblings are still up in Minnesota visiting her brother. Soda sees Janet around now and then, and she occasionally give him a nod. Ponyboy is curled up on the couch reading some book and Darry is scanning the newspaper idly in the kitchen. However, Sodapop is mesmerised by the postcard with _**Greetings from Minnesota**_ written in comically large, bold lettering. He's never received one before. On the back, it's a quick hello from Monica. He's glad that they're settling into something like friendship.

In pretty pink pen, Monica has written one last comment.

 _Welcome to 1967!_


	2. Chapter 2

**More tw for violence and homophobia. Fingers crossed I kept in character here.**

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 _January 11_ _th_

Soda stops the car in front of a decent-looking house and he has to double check that the address is right. Sure, Monica isn't living in complete poverty like some people, but the exterior of the house was almost nice, save for a smashed window and the overgrown garden that was beginning to creep up the columns by the porch.

He leaves the car and walks up the five small stairs to the front door and knocks, hoping that Monica answers. There's a loud commotion from inside the house; squealing laughter, loud chatter and thumping footsteps. Soon, the door is opened by a young girl. She comes up to his shoulder and she has long hair a few shades darker than Monica's.

"You must be the Curtis guy, right?" She says. She grins, the corners of her eyes squinting ever so slightly.

"I'm here for Monica," Soda replies. The girl nods and steps aside for him to enter.

"Come in," She nods, speaking over the top of the racket inside. "I'm Penny, by the way."

Penny leads him down the hallway. Halfway down there's an offshoot to the dining room, where a middle-aged woman is sitting, slumped with her head against the table. A bottle of pills is close by. Grey seeps through her reddish hair.

He finds Monica in the living room next to a young girl with her hair tied into two pigtails. A string is wrapped around her tooth and is connected to a bedroom door.

"Monica! Your boyfriend is here!" Penny announces. The other kids in the room all look up. The boy who looked the oldest glances up from the television, and the youngest ones who had been playing with a worn baby doll and a set of wooden figurines look to Soda with big, wondering eyes.

Monica beams, her hand on the young girl's head. Soda noticed the girl looked nervous. "Hi! I'll be out in a sec. Lucy's got a loose tooth and we're trying to pop it out."

Lucy cringes. Soda can't help but smile. Monica turns to a boy with thick curls and nods. "Slam the door Dennis!"

A heartbeat passed, the door slammed, and Lucy's tooth was ripped from her mouth.

"Ow!" Lucy whines, bringing a finger up to feel around the empty space in her mouth. Monica high-fives Dennis and pats Lucy gently on the head.

"Be grateful it came out. When we tried that on Vivian it just gave her a headache from the pull," Monica laughs. Then she turns to the kids in the house. "I'm going out for a bit. Don't bug Mom until she wakes up. Timothy's in charge."

There was a chorus of goodbyes – a rather reluctant one from Lucy – and Monica lead the way through her house to the front door.

Once outside and in Soda's car, they took a moment to breathe. "It's nice being away from the kids for a while," She giggles. "It was torture driving up to Minnesota with them in the car."

Soda starts the car. "I remember when me and Darry did that to Pony," He muses. Monica laughs again.

"It's the mark of an older sibling," She quips.

 _January 16_ _th_

The bell above the door rings as Soda and Ponyboy enter the pharmacy. Pony gets to work browsing the shelves looking for aspirin. The Curtis house is all out. Soda follows Ponyboy, hands jammed into the pockets of his worn jacket.

"Sodapop Curtis, fancy seeing you here!"

Both boys turn around, surprised to see Monica by the cash register. She's beaming, absolutely delighted that somebody she knew had come in. Ponyboy makes a low noise of discontent as Soda walks towards the girl to talk.

"Whatcha doin? Need help with anything?" She offers. One elbow is resting on the table she's behind, holding her chin in her palm.

"Trying to find some aspirin," Ponyboy interjects, not looking up from his position. Monica nods her head towards one of the small isles.

"Look over that way. I'm pretty sure it's there."

Pony does as she tells him and heads towards the middle isle. Soda, however, settles himself at the counter, beginning a conversation.

"So this is your job, huh?"

Monica laughs. Not because its particularly funny. Mostly because she doesn't know how else to respond. "Yeah. It's my job."

After a moment of thinking, it became a rather stark realisation for Sodapop Curtis. Here was this girl he was supposedly dating, and yet all he knew was that she had 7 younger siblings and kissed girls behind the school rather than boys. Part of him wanted to start asking her about her life but decided against it. Monica never pried about his personal problems, so he wouldn't do that to her.

Ponyboy walks up to the counter and places two boxes of aspirin in front of the girl. She readily rings the price up to a little under five dollars and holds out her hand while Soda digs around in his pockets for the money.

"Is the money good?" Pony asks, watching as she sorts the coins into their slots and pulls out their change.

"It's a job," She shrugs. She waves goodbye. They leave.

 _January 25_ _th_

From the corner of his eye, Soda can see the way Janet is watching Monica as she dances around the living room. It's the party of some girl Janet knew, someone she was apparently close to. Janet lips the glass she's holding to rest on her lower lip. Monica is giggling, spun around by another drunk girl.

"I guess she's a lightweight," Soda makes an attempt at light conversation. Janet nods her head stiffly.

"She's never been to a party," Janet responds. "She's always really responsible."

Soda can see that. He looks back over to Janet. She's not quite jealous, but not quite comfortable with Monica's action. The only time its permissible to touch another girl is in a drunken heat, lights dimmed and music blasting from the radio as loud as it can go.

Monica leaves the other girl, stumbling around the passed out people and couples kissing on the rough carpet, and over to Janet and Soda.

"Oh my god," Monica manages to get out, one arm pressed against a wall to keep her grounded. "I can't believe you never let me go to one of these before!"

Janet shrugs. Monica grabs the two of them by their wrist, one in each of her hands. Without a word she drags them out into the middle of the party, swinging her hips and twirling. Monica takes Soda's hands in her own, momentarily dancing along with him, before she lets go and spins into Janet's arms.

Soda stands back and watches the girls with a smile. Janet looks happier. Soda's smile grows bigger when someone hands Monica another drink and she downs it without a second thought.

She's going to regret this later.

 _January 26_ _th_

It's early in the morning – about 2 am or so – and the three are in the Curtis' spare room. Monica is passed out on the bed, Janet laying beside her with her left hand holding her chin and her right hand strokes Monica's hair. Sodapop is sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the girls.

They had left the party after a while as Monica grew rowdier. Janet and Soda had agreed to take Monica back to his place because Janet's father wouldn't accommodate the group and there was no way they could return Monica to her place. The walk back was long, between Monica stopping to puke in the gutter twice and the girl passing out, but it had been an admittedly fun evening.

"Thanks for letting us come back here," Janet eventually says. Soda looks up to her and shrugs.

"It's okay. It's no problem."

Janet smiles down to Monica and moves some stray hair from her face. "I like being here. It would be nicer if Monica was awake, but your brothers know about us. It feels nice to sit here with her and not feel worried about anyone seeing us."

This is the most Janet's said since Soda met her. It's sort of nice to see that Janet actually sees him as a kind of friend. Enough to talk to him. Soda moves a little closer, peeking down at Monica and her parted lips and scrunched up eyes, and looks back to Janet.

"When did you know you liked girls?" Soda asks. Janet looks shocked at his choice of conversation, no longer the stand-offish greaser girl, now nervous and uncomfortable. Soda is about to apologise when she speaks up.

"When did you know _you_ liked girls?"

Sodapop smiles, the conversation returning to its previously light-hearted (if formal and awkward) tone. "You got me there."

The two focus on different things in the room for a long moment. Janet stares out the window where the silvery moon illuminates the trees in the backyard and Soda listens to the clock tick in the hallway.

"Why?"

Janet looks over as Soda speaks. He's not looking at her, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Why what?" She asks. She grows colder, defensive.

"Why do you bother staying with Monica," He pauses and searches for the right words. "Even though she can get you killed?"

Janet returns her attention to her girlfriend laying on the bed, her fingers following the curve of Monica's face with a feather light touch. Sodapop begins to think she isn't going to answer.

"It sounds stupid, but I don't think I can choose not to love her."

Janet is focusing on her fingers, now running down Monica's pale neck and following over her shoulders and down her arms.

"There's not a lot of good in my life. But Monica is something good. I wouldn't give up this feeling for the world."

The girl glances over to Sodapop Curtis with her hard eyes. "She is worth everything that this stupid town wants to throw at me."

Soda considers her words. Since Sandy had left him, he had considered the abstract concept of _love_. He had always guessed it was the hot kissing over the hood of a car or rubbing Sandy's thighs just under her skirt. Maybe love wasn't that at all. Maybe it was a lot deeper than that – like the way his parents used to spend evenings not talking to each other, but just being there together with his mother mending the button on Darry's shirt while his dad read the paper. Maybe, just maybe, it was what Janet and Monica had.

He watches as Janet runs her fingers through Monica's hair and presses a sweet, gentle kiss on her forehead despite her streaked mascara and smudged lipstick and doesn't doubt that they are in love.

 _January 30_ _th_

Soda waits out the front of the school for Monica. He watches the other students go by but stops when he sees Monica.

The beautiful rich auburn hair that used to reach to her shoulder blades had been cut into a hastily-created bob that sat just blow her chin. She seems sadder than usual as she silently slips into the car beside him. She rests her chin on her hand and looks out the window. She doesn't speak.

"That cut looks good," He offers. He sees her smile through the window.

"If I weren't gay, I'd have fallen in love with you," She jokes. Monica's voice is still soft and distant.

Soda starts the car and they drive in silence for a while. "Why'd ya cut it?" He asks, light and coaxing in a voice he often reserved for Ponyboy.

"Someone got gum in my hair."

Her voice is barely above a whisper.

"Who?"

There's a long pause before she answers. "Kevin. You know how siblings are."

He doesn't pry, but there's something about her that makes him think that Kevin wasn't the cause of her haircut. She leaves his car in the same silence she entered with.

 _February 5_ _th_

Sodapop sits on his back porch watching Janet shoot hoops in the old basketball hoop none of them used anymore. One hand is holding a lit cigarette and the other is bouncing the ball. Occasionally she stops to place the cigarette in her mouth, but she seems content with the ball. Monica is leaning against the porch railing.

The hoop shutters as the ball bounces off the rim and thuds on the concrete ground.

"So, Monnie," Soda starts, looking over to the girl who's raking her fingers through her short hair absentmindedly. "How's your family gonna work when you leave?"

Monica shrugs, although she smiles the tiniest bit at the use of the nickname he had begun to use. "Timmy knows I'm leaving. He's got a job that pays decently."

Soda nods. "Wow, you've really thought this through."

Once again, she shrugs. She stares as Janet flicks the ashes from her cigarette and throws the ball again. It bounces of the rim, but falls into the hoop. "Yeah. I feel guilty that I'm going, but Timmy knows why I can't stay. He said he won't tell."

She plays with her hair again.

"We're bringing my brother," Janet adds. "He's seven and I can't trust my dad with him."

Monica brightens. "Marty's such a sweet kid," She tells Soda.

Janet throws the ball again. It misses.

 _February 14_ _th_

Darry was kind enough to let Monica and Janet both over on Valentine's Day. The talk Soda had during the aftermath of the party was enough for him to pity the girls. Monica had turned up with a bouquet of flowers and a container full of sugar cookies she had baked to thank the Curtis', whereas Janet came with a tiny stuffed animal she had bought for Monica.

The dinner they had was terrific. Monica had bustled about the kitchen, teaching Ponyboy how to cut vegetables up properly while discussing notes about a book she had done previously in English. Ponyboy finally seemed to be warming up to her.

Janet, however, stood around awkwardly, playing with her hair and occasionally making small talk with whoever would join in.

The baked dinner (provided by mainly Darry and Monica) turned out wonderfully and something like friendship was instantly forged between all of them.

"This has been the best day of my life," Monica had said between tiny nibbles on a cookie. Janet hummed her agreement, not quite making eye contact, but getting there.

When the girls had left, Darry had made his opinion known.

"They're good kids."

 _February 18_ _th_

There's a knock on Soda's door again. Monica stands there helplessly. Soda is reminded of the December day that she stood there with blood pouring down her face. This time it's different. There's no real wounds, save for bruises gathering on her left wrist. But she's soaking wet, which is alarming for the cold night.

No words are shared between the two for a long time. She sits patiently on the couch while he fetches blankets and jackets and anything to get her warm and dry.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry for coming," She manages to get out between the shuddering of her jaw. "I didn't k-know where e-e-else to go."

"It's fine," Soda says, because it is. Maybe it wasn't Lori this time, but someone had done this out of malice. If that were him, he wouldn't want to go home either.

As if reading his mind, she adds, "I-I-I couldn't let the l-little ones s-s-see this."

Soda gives her a big smile and helps her to her feet. "I said it's fine."

They make it down the hallway and Soda contemplates setting her up in the spare bed, but instead decides to squish her in the bed with himself and Ponyboy. Pony was dead to the world when they enter through the door. Monica gasps.

"I can't-" She begins.

"Body heat'll help," He interjects. He gets into the bed first, creating a barrier between the girl and Pony. Monica sighs in relief as the warmth from the bed encloses her. She rests her damp hair on the pillow and smiles at Soda.

"Thank you," She whispers. She's asleep almost instantly.

Three in a bed was squishy, but Sodapop enjoys the warmth radiating from Pony on his right and Monica on his left. It doesn't take him long to fall asleep again.

 _February 22_ _nd_

Some childish cartoon is too loud on the television in the Lewis house. Vivian, Lucy and Kevin were entranced by whatever was on. Soda sat on one of the couches, entertaining little Cynthia by accepting the toys and blocks the child gave him.

Her chubby hands held out a wooden duck. "Aw, thanks! You definitely know your way into a man's heart."

Cynthia responds by giggling shrilly and toddles off to find another item to give to him.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're great with kids?" Monica asks, a comb between her front teeth and fingers pulling Penny's hair into braids.

"Nah, never really been around kids."

Monica rolls her eyes. Her fingers are quick and nimble as they work with Penny's hair. Penny has a dance to go to and Soda had swiftly dropped Monica off at her place after school to fix up her younger sister. He had been invited to go inside, and he had agreed.

Penny pulls away when Monica's done and hurries into her room to get into her dress. From the kitchen emerges Mrs Lewis, her hair tied into a loose bun behind her head. She's tired.

"Hey Mom," Monica greets, standing instantly. All the other kids look over at the woman who smiles weakly. She seems to only now notice Soda sitting in the room.

"Oh, hello. You are?" She asks tentatively. Soda offers the woman a smile.

"Sodapop Curtis ma'am. Monica's boyfriend."

Mrs Lewis waves a hand dismissively. "Right. It's lovely to meet you."

Vivian jumps to her feet. "I'll make you some tea Mama!" She says and races into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Mrs Lewis nods weakly and walks into her room.

Soda looks to Monica, who was watching her mother with concern. "What's up with her?"

"She's overworked," Monica answers. "She gets headaches often and sleeps a lot."

Penny comes bouncing back into the living room in a lovely dress that Soda knows the family must have saved up for. Monica smiles and places her hands on her hips. "Wow Pen, you look stunning!"

The warm family atmosphere is strange. Monica takes the maternal role. When she leaves, so will the acting mother. Soda feels his heart wrench at the thought. It won't be exactly like what he and his brothers went through after the death of their parents, but with the moaning of Mrs Lewis in the next room over and the way Monica instructs Penny to stand to take pictures, Soda can't help but feel nervous for the family.

 _February 27_ _th_

Two-bit and Monica really seem to hit it off on their second meeting. The school has been let out for a while, but Soda stands in between Two-bit and Monica as they converse with laughter and joking. Two-bit compliments her hair and her skirt. Monica merely giggles in response.

 _March 2_ _nd_

Sodapop listens as Ponyboy tells him in a soft, distraught voice about what happened at school.

Monica was chattering away with Ponyboy about schoolwork and books and how to approach the pretty girl in Ponyboy's history class. There was a girl, he says, who walked past and said some horrible things.

"You can't hide behind your _boyfriend_ forever," The girl had sneered. "You're still a fag through and through."

Pony had tried to continue the conversation with Monica and she had smiled kindly and shook her head. She turned to the other girl.

"But," Ponyboy says to Soda in a quiet voice. "Her hands were shaking."

There was pulled hair and spitting and possibly a punch – Pony didn't see it all. What he did see was Monica pushing through the crowd and disappearing into an empty bathroom.

Sodapop Curtis doesn't see Monica Lewis for almost 3 weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

**woah, long time no see. here's the final chapter. sorry this took so long school started and i've been so busy. monica and janet are officially my favourite ocs. brief mentions of sex like twice and some recreational weed use. just to warn you**

 _March 24_ _th_

As easily as she had disappeared, Monica is just suddenly there again. Her hair had grown a little – still yet to grow back to its original length – but she gives Sodapop a little smile as she passes him in the street. Soda, as she passes, falls into stride with her. He flicks his cigarette, hardly noticing the way her nose scrunches up.

"Where'd you go?"

He thinks he sees her eyes water for a second, but he quickly thinks against it. Her voice is little and robotic when she finally answers. "I went to go visit my grandmother."

Sodapop raises and eyebrow. She is telling the truth, and although she was once an open book, easy to read, she was now closed off and quiet. His chest aches and he thrusts his hands into his pockets. He glances over to her again.

Monica's nails are short and gnawed at, he notices. There's a jumpy nervousness about her. Very quietly, like she was some sort of stray cat, Soda takes her wrist and tugs her to a stop. She flinches. He pretends not to notice it.

"Is everything okay?" He asks. Monica looks like a deer caught in headlights. _Poor thing_.

Her head lowers and she looks from side to side, making sure nobody was around. Then, in a tiny, tiny voice, she says, "I'm scared."

Sodapop can't grasp the extent of her words no matter how hard he tries. He's glad he doesn't relate. In that moment, in some sick way, he's almost glad it's her that's going through it and not him. Soda looks down and sees her foot tapping violently on the ground. "I know," He tells her. He doesn't know, but what else is there to say?

Monica tries hard to calm her breathing, but soon she's hyperventilating. "I can't," She forces out. She reaches out for Soda, but he distances himself. He does settle on holding her hands, though, but it does nothing. "I can't stay here. I walk out of my house and I feel sick. I look at my kids and I feel sick. How can I leave them? Why do I _have_ to leave them?"

Soda says nothing. He rubs her back comfortingly when she doubles over and retches into the dirt. Nothing comes up, but she quietly tells him that she feels better. Then she disappears again.

Monica is good at disappearing.

 _March 27_ _th_

Surprisingly, it's Janet who knocks on his door this time. It's in the early hours of the afternoon, and Soda answers the door. Janet immediately looks down at her feet, an unlit cigarette holding hair behind her ear. It was strange to see Janet by herself – normally she and Monica visited together.

"Monica ain't here if that's what you're –" He begins, but Janet swiftly cuts him off with the single shake of her head.

"I know this sounds dumb, but I really need to talk to you about," Janet pauses, bringing her gaze upwards. "Things."

Soda looks back into the house. Both his brothers are busy, not paying any mind to him or Janet. "Sure," He tells her but then stops. "Will it take long? I got some –"

Once again, Janet stops him. "It won't take long," She promises, and soon the two step out of the house and head down the silent street at a slow, meandering pace.

"So, talking," Sodapop begins. Janet crosses her arms over her chest and nods.

"I'm nervous about leaving," She confesses. Janet, from all the interactions Soda had with her, didn't do nerves. She was a tough greaser girl who could apparently hold her own in a fight. Janet, to his knowledge, wasn't supposed to do nerves.

"I can't let Monica throw her life away for me, y'know? What if she breaks up with me? What if I break up with her? Where will she go? Where will me and my brother go?" Janet's hands are shaking and she pulls the cigarette from behind her ear. The hair that was tucked haphazardly underneath it fell and rocked calmly by her chin. "God, what will she tell her _parents_?"

Soda lets her talk for as long as she wants. It's not much but it's just so uncharacteristic for her to be this talkative that he knows she must be really upset over this.

"I thought about breaking up with her," Janet says softly. Soda looks over in surprise. Before he can speak, she's talking again. "I didn't do it obviously, but I just thought it might be easier for her if she stayed here herself."

Soda bit back the urge to make some remark about Monica's obvious unhappiness in Tulsa, instead choosing his words carefully. "Monica loves you," He tells her in an equally soft voice. "And I know she'd be real miserable if you broke things off like that."

The thought of seeing Monica any sadder than she already was made Sodapop Curtis feel sick to his stomach.

Janet sighs, deep and tired, and lights her cigarette. She brings it to her mouth, takes an incredibly long drag, and exhales sharply. "You're right. I can't believe I even thought about it."

Janet stops and takes another deep inhale of her cigarette before looking over to Soda. "If she does come back, if things between us don't work out and she comes back to her family, you better be a real gentleman to her Sodapop, otherwise I'll come back and personally beat you up, alright?"

And then Janet Miller does something even more strange; she smiles. It's not her usually small, awkwardly held smile, it's one of the ones he's seen her give to Monica. It was genuine and warm, if a little sad.

"Thanks. You should get back to your brothers," She tells him. She gives him a little wave and begins back down the street. Soda stands and watches her leave.

 _April 5_ _th_

Soda sits, perched on the top of this ugly, old picnic table in Monica's backyard. The backyard is pretty run down, with weeds entangling the lower half of the lawn and a cramped clothesline sitting to his left. Monica is sitting beside him as she watches her younger siblings playing in the backyard. She had recently mowed (Mr. Lewis finally bought a new lawnmower) and the kids were ecstatic to have somewhere new to play. Penny was humouring the younger kids despite complaining that she was too old to play with them. On her back sat Kevin, wearing one of their father's old hats as a makeshift cowboy hat, while Penny pretended to gallop along as his horse.

"Me and Pony used to play cowboys," Soda recalls warmly, getting Monica's full attention. Stories about the Curtis brothers in their youth (especially those involving Ponyboy) were always amusing and welcome. "We had this ugly, beat up stick horse that came from one of my cousins or something when she was a kid, and I always got it."

He glances to Monica and her eyes are soft. She's more at ease than she has been for the past couple of months, but he supposed that was bound to happen in her own home. "Yeah? Did he ever complain?"

Soda grins. "Nah. That kid loved the hell outta me. Besides, he was real little."

Monica laughs. "So you played fair?"

Soda shakes his head. "Nope. Took the cap gun we had too."

Monica's laughter only increases. Soda laughs alongside her. It had been so long since he had heard her laugh that it made his head spin. Everything was okay again.

 _April 7_ _th_

"Thank you," Janet tells Soda one quiet day when she had dropped by. Soda glances over to her, looking puzzled.

"What for?" He asks. He can't pinpoint any time where he had done something that would result in a thanks. In her regular fashion, she doesn't answer straight away. She looks a little nervous, a little uncomfortable with the words coming out of her mouth.

"For everything."

He doesn't question it. He thinks he'll understand one day.

 _April 12_ _th_

For the first time in Monica Lewis' 17 years, she was skipping school. Janet held onto her hand tightly as they made their way to the Curtis house. Ponyboy would be at school, Soda and Darry at work. It was perfect.

Monica knocks before entering, and once satisfied that no one was in the house, she opens the door and the two girls enter the house giggling. The house was just as homely empty as it was full.

"Oh Janet, can you imagine coming home to a house like this?" Monica says giddily, turning on her heel to face her girlfriend. Janet breaks into a warm smile.

"Oh yeah. You sittin' in the kitchen with a book and a cup of coffee, and Marty playing in the backyard," Janet answers, taking Monica's hands in hers. "It's perfect."

Monica flushes and bits her lower lip. The domesticity of the dream was still so far away, but she could have her fantasies if she wanted.

Janet pulls Monica further into the house and down the hallway to the room with the unused bed. The door closed behind them, and soon the two girls were flopped down on the bed.

It was impulsive, but welcomed regardless. It was Janet who stripped first, taking off her clothes and haphazardly throwing them around the room. Monica follows with only slight hesitation. Monica was still a virgin, whereas Janet was much more experienced with sex – both with women and men.

There was gasping and groaning and squeals of pleasure from the two of them, but it came to an abrupt end when the front door opened.

A masculine voice – a friend of one of the Curtis' by the way they were speaking – and the two girls, trying to hide their giggling, hurried to put their clothes back on.

"How do we get out?" Monica whispers to Janet, who was still trying to button her jeans. Janet looks around the room and nods towards the window.

"Out there – be quiet," She says, watching as Monica tried to lift the window up as wordlessly as she could.

The window thumped as it hit the top of the frame. The girls look to each other and hurry out of the window before whoever was there found them.

They run down the street laughing.

 _April 26_ _th_

Monica flattens her dress and waits impatiently for Soda to get out of the car. Evie had finally annoyed both Soda and Monica so much that they actually agreed to a double date. Evie and Steve were already inside the drive in somewhere – Monica and Soda were late.

Soda watches Monica play with the edge of her pretty pink dress with the pretty embroidered roses. It wasn't quite fear. It looked like it was mostly frustration.

"C'mon," He says kindly, catching her elbow and walking her through the rows of cars until they found Steve's.

"Jesus Sodapop, I can walk by myself."

She doesn't sound angry.

Instead of all cramming themselves into one car, they decide to use the seats. (Monica grumbled something to the effect of "why did we bring cars in anyway", but doesn't object.)

Evie and Steve are all over each other before the film even starts, but Soda and Monica are content to ignore them and watch what they had paid for. Halfway through Monica stands and retrieves a box of popcorn from the concession stand to share. Evie had cooed over that fact, but Monica just rolled her eyes. She couldn't afford two boxes.

By the time the film ends, Evie and Steve are off to god knows where doing god knows what, and Sodapop Curtis and Monica Lewis begin a gentle walk back to his car.

"This was fun," She says, all chipper and relaxed. Soda nods.

"We should do it again."

"Maybe," She replies coyly, opening his car door and sitting inside.

He looks over to her occasionally when he starts driving her home, smiling when he sees that she's already fallen asleep. He sits silently in his car out the front of her house for ten minutes before finally deciding to wake her.

 _May 3_ _rd_

He's at a party. He doesn't know where it is. He doesn't really care that much.

There's a girl in the corner who keeps sneaking glances at him. Her hair looked a little dry and frizzy, and by the light shade of blonde he was under the impression that she had bleached it and coloured it time and time again. Occasionally the girl would give him a smile, but she was thoroughly invested in her drink.

It wasn't long before Soda made his way over to her.

"Hey," He greets when he gets to her side. The blonde takes a sip of her drink before answering.

"Hey."

The music goes up in volume, so he raises his voice to speak over it.

"You from around here?"

"No," The girl is practically yelling. "I'm a runaway."

Soda raises an eyebrow, a grin lifting his lips. "A runaway, huh? Interesting."

After this, the mystery girl takes his hand and leads him outside of the house the party's held in. He stares at her intently – her dry hair and smudged eyeliner are almost entrancing. Maybe he it was the alcohol. She licks her ruby coloured lips.

"I'm Sarah."

"Sarah what?" He asks, getting nothing but a wry smile in response.

"Just Sarah. That's all you need to know."

Just Sarah plays with the ends of her hair, having to reach up to toy with the damaged ends. She's teased it, and her wild hair matches the wild look in her deep eyes. "You got a name?"

"Sodapop Curtis," He says. Sarah laughs, but stops when she sees that he's serious.

"Ah, sorry. That's just, uh, an interesting name. Never heard one like it. Do all you country boys have weird names?"

Soda laughs. "Just me and my brother."

Sarah laughs as well. "Geez, I'm not even going to ask what your brother's name is."

She finishes the last of her drink and tips her head to the side. The cup drops to the ground and she doesn't go to pick it up. "You got a girlfriend Mr. Curtis?"

He bites his tongue at first. Technically he does, but he didn't really at the same time. He finds himself shaking his head. Sarah beams and drapes her arms over his shoulders, standing on her toes to completely match his height.

"Well then, how about we go back to my place? This party blows."

Her place ended up being her ugly, rusted car that was parked two blocks away. It was cramped and smelt as dirty as it looked, but the sex was decent.

Just Sarah pressed a kiss to his lips before he left and stuffed a note into his palm. Her number. He hadn't gotten a girl's number for quite some time. He resolved to call her one day.

 _May 25_ _th_

Monica and Janet seemed to be keeping to themselves. He received a call from Janet one day asking for a favour. There was no talk of what the favour was, but all the instruction he was given was to meet at Janet's house, cryptically given her address, and was then hung up on.

It was about a car.

Janet, dressed as lazily as she possibly could, stood by the car, a lit cigarette in her hand. Monica was close, entertaining a little boy with thick dark hair that Soda assumed to be Marty. There was something motherly in the way she tossed the soccer ball to the boy, giving him warm words of encouragement.

Janet exhales smoke and drops her cigarette as Soda approached, rubbing it between her shoe and the concrete.

"What do you need help with?" He asks, looking over the car closely.

"We got it cheap," Janet begins to explain. "Combined some of the money me and Monica got to buy it. I wanted to know if it'll get us anywhere."

So Soda spent his afternoon looking over the car, with no conversation besides the occasional question from Janet and the proud comments from Monica directed to Marty. He didn't mind too much.

 _June 14_ _th_

Sarah was still in town – Soda had seen her working a shift in the diner. He laid across his lounge and contemplated calling her.

"Hello?" A voice asks him. It didn't sound like Sarah. He was going to press it anyway.

"Sarah?"

The voice on the other line chuckles. "Sorry sweetie. No Sarah here. Looks like this Sarah girl gave you a fake number."

He should have known. Sarah lived in a _car_ for God's sake.

Soda finds himself tugging shoes onto his socked feet. Oh well. Might as well see if Sarah's car was in the same spot.

He does find her car in the same spot, and she's sitting on the hood with a joint. She brightens when she sees him approach, and she stands on the hood of her car shakily. "Ah! You came back!" She says in delight, jumping off the car to the ground, ignoring the groan the car makes when she does.

"You gave me a fake number," He says, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Sorry about that. It was going to give you incentive to come find me again. And hey, it worked, didn't it?"

She looks so happy about it that Soda can't help but laugh. "I s'pose."

There's a tiny gap in the conversation when she focuses on finishing her joint before discarding it. "So, what brings you to my humble abode, Mr. Curtis?"

She flails her arms about like an idiot with a goofy smile on her face and Soda shrugs. "Wanted something to do."

"Something like me?" Sarah wiggles her ass, still looking like an idiot, but she then burst out laughing. "I'm joking. Want to come inside? I think I have some snacks we can eat."

She doesn't wait for his answer, and instead pulls him inside and begins to empty out bags of food from him to chose from. He watches almost fondly. Hopefully Sarah was sticking around.

 _June 24_ _th_

He doesn't see Sarah around anymore.

 _June 25_ _th_

Sarah's car has vanished.

 _July 1_ _st_

Monica is at the Curtis', making an attempt to teach Ponyboy how to make carrot cake. Two-bit's there as well, sitting on the counter and ignoring Monica when she asks him to help.

She lifts the bowl of grated carrot. "Okay, now we mix the dry ingredients together and then add in the carrot."

Ponyboy stares intently at the bowl as he stirs, taking the bowl off Monica and adding in the carrot. She watches approvingly. "Great! Now get the wet stuff and pop that in too. Then you need to stir until it's all together."

While Ponyboy is stirring, Monica turns to Two-bit and gives him a sweet smile. "You are absolutely no help. Are you just going to sit here and make life hell for us?"

He returns her smile. "That's the plan."

Monica giggles, but turns back around when Ponyboy asks for her. "Oh, that looks pretty nicely mixed. I'll show you how to put it into a pan so you know how to do it next time, okay?"

Pony nods and steps back to let her take control. Soda is watching from the couch. He had never guessed Pony would want to know how to cook, but there's a first for everything.

"Alrighty, so its all in and smoothed, so put it in the oven. It should take about 45 minutes, but check it every so often."

She brushes her hands clean from any flour and plops herself down next to Soda.

"Your brother is pretty good at baking," She tells him, glancing over to the kitchen where Pony is trying to keep Two-bit from touching the batter so he can put it in the oven. She looks back to Soda with her regular soft smile.

"That kid is going to make someone very happy one day," Monica tells him. "He's a very nice boy."

That makes Soda proud.

 _August 7_ _th_

Soda almost doesn't see Monica for a whole month. It's coming up to her move out date in September. She's too busy working as much as she can, she tells him. Ponyboy lets him know that he sees her in school and that she seems fine.

When he does see her, she's looking more relieved and happy than she has in all the time he's known her. Dennis and Penny are by her side.

"Hey, Monica!" He calls, making her stop and look around. In her arms are bags. It looks like clothes.

"Hey Sodapop!" She greets, elbowing her siblings to make them greet him as well.

"Whatcha got there?" He asks, eying the bags. Dennis answers, with a bit of a bored expression.

"It's clothes. She said she was gonna buy us some. I think she bought too many," He says.

Penny rolls her eyes. "You're just dumb Dennis. She bought you a very nice sweater."

"Don't call your brother dumb," Monica says automatically. "I just had some extra money and thought I'd buy them something nice."

Her eyes go sad for a moment.

"If you really wanted to buy us something nice you coulda got us ice cream or something," Dennis frowns.

"It wouldn't be fair to the others, but I'll tell you what – I'll go home and see how much money I have left over. If I have enough I'll take you all out to get ice cream. Is that a fair deal?" Monica turns to Dennis and raises an eyebrow, and the boy lit up.

"Yeah! Come on, lets get home. You can talk to your boyfriend later."

Monica laughs. "Alright, alright. Sorry Soda, but I apparently have more important things to do."

"No problem," He tells her, waving at her while Dennis tugged on the edge of her shirt to hurry home.

 _August 15_ _th_

Soda goes shopping with Monica sometimes. It's not quite shopping really, its more like scoping out what she and Janet need. He wonders if the store owners think they're loitering.

 _August 23_ _rd_

Janet's decided on a date to leave – the 8th of September apparently.

"Woah, that's close," Monica breathes. Janet looks concerned for a moment.

"Is that okay?"

Monica swallows roughly and nods her head. "Yeah. Yeah, totally fine!"

It's not completely a lie; it _is_ fine, she just thought she'd get some more time with her siblings before they leave.

Her parents are out of town for the weekend, so Monica lets the kids run wild. They all sleep together in the lounge room, and Monica can't help but miss it already.

 _August 30_ _th_

Monica spends her day writing notes for her siblings that she wants to hide in her room. None of them talk about the specifics of her disappearance, just that she loves them all very much and she hopes to keep in contact with them. She just can't be there anymore.

The one for Sodapop is a lot more heartful. She folds it neatly and places it in the pocket of her jacket.

 _September 2_ _nd_

Soda comes along with Monica while she shops. There's not a lot of talking, but there is lots of money getting handed over and a deep feeling of sadness that digs into his gut.

 _September 5_ _th_

It's not long now.

 _September 6_ _th_

It's really not long now.

 _September 7_ _th_

The day before she leaves, Monica looks like she's in a trance. She goes to the Curtis' in the morning. But can't focus on the conversation for too long. She spends the afternoon with her siblings, kisses them all goodnight, and tries to sleep as best she can.

 _September 8_ _th_

Soda got up early to meet the girls at Janet's. They're both packing up the car with little things like pillows or books as quietly as they can. Soda can see Marty asleep in the backseat.

Monica breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Soda and run over to hug him. He almost loses balance at the force.

"Sodapop," She breathes. It seems like she wants to say more, but she can't.

He ruffles her hair. It's finally back to its regular length, he notices.

"You take care of yourself," He says quietly, and then looks over to Janet. "You too."

Janet looks scared, but nods firmly. Of course she does – she's a tough Greaser girl.

Monica stands on her toes and presses a kiss to Soda's cheek. "You look after yourself too. I'll call you soon, okay?"

Soda nods. He's even surprising himself with how much he's already looking forward to that phone call.

Monica pushes something into his hand and all of a sudden the girls are gone.

He stands in the empty driveway for a long time before he even looks at the note Monica gave him.

 _Sodapop,_

 _Thank you for everything. Really, thank you._

 _I'll miss you._

 _I don't care what you tell everyone. Tell them you dumped me because I cheated. Tell them I skipped town without telling you. Just please don't tell them the truth._

 _Your friend,_

 _Monica Lewis_

(there were hearts over the I's. It was messy, but by God was it sweet)

Sodapop pockets the note and heads home.


End file.
